1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having a discharge recovery mechanism for the recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus, and a sensor to detect the environmental conditions in which the ink jet recording apparatus is used.
2. Related Background Art
An ink jet recording apparatus having a discharge recovery mechanism for automatic recovery operations has hitherto been structured to set the conditions of the discharge recovery operation in such a manner that even in a usual use, the period during which the recording apparatus is not in use tends to be set longer than necessary or the environmental conditions of use are set in a wider range, and that the removal of air bubbles for a stabilized discharge, and the exhaust of overly viscous ink from the nozzles by exerting pressure or suction. Also, when the power-supply is turned on, a greater recovery operation is executed than that for the usual use by exhausting ink from the nozzles automatically, among other means.
However, the conventional example described above has the following drawbacks:
(1) Since a single discharge recovery operation is set for the stabilized discharge, ink is automatically exhausted from the nozzles even in an event that the power-supply of the recording apparatus is frequently turned on and off. Hence a considerable amount of ink is wasted. PA1 (2) Also, the discharge recovery operation is set for a longer period in anticipation of securing a stabilized discharge when the power-supply is turned on irrespective of the environmental conditions in which the ink jet recording apparatus is used. As a result, it takes a longer time for the recording apparatus to rise after the power-supply is turned on. PA1 discharge recovery means for recovering the discharge state of the recording head by discharging ink from the recording head; detection means for detecting the environmental conditions of the ink jet recording apparatus; and recovery control means for controlling the recovery conditions of the discharge recovery means in accordance with the result of detection by the detection means when the ink jet recording apparatus rises. PA1 discharge recovery means for recovering the discharge state of the recording head; PA1 ink exhaust means for exhausting ink from the recording head by suction and/or pressure; PA1 detection means for detecting the environmental conditions of the ink jet recording apparatus; and PA1 recovery control means for selecting and executing a recovery operation of the ink exhaust means and/or the discharge recovery means in accordance with the result of detection by the detection means, and at the same time, controlling the recovery conditions of the discharge recovery means. PA1 head recovery means for recovering the state of ink discharge of the recording head; PA1 detection means for detecting the environmental conditions of the ink jet recording apparatus; PA1 timer means for measuring the standby time of the ink jet recording apparatus; and PA1 recovery control means for controlling the recovery conditions of the head recovery means in accordance with the result of detection by the detection means and the result of measurement by the timer means. PA1 detecting the temperature and humidity as the environmental conditions of an ink jet recording apparatus; PA1 measuring the standby time of the ink jet recording apparatus; PA1 recovering the discharge to recover the discharge state of the recording head by discharging ink from the recording head in accordance with the result of detection in the detection step and the result of measurement in the time measurement step; and PA1 selecting and executing a recovery operation in the ink exhaust step of exhausting ink from the recording head by suction and/or pressure, and at the same time, recovering the state of the recording head by controlling the number of ink discharges in the discharge recovery step.